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Histoires de Parfums 1740 Marquis de Sade Perfume Review

October 30, 2012

Histoires de Parfums 1740 is a woody chypre inspired by Parisian artist, outcast, and scandalous writer, Donatien-Alphonse-François/The Marquis de Sade. The eponym sadism comes from his name. As you can tell, this man has influenced our culture. Now let’s see how he has influenced perfume.

1740 opens with a birch tar leather and camphoric patchouli. There’s a dash of cool spices and citrus but I’d never call 1740 bright. It’s rugged and worn. It’s an earthy, dark, animalic potion. With time I get civet and dried fig, some rum and brown sugar, and the smell of stale, musty, leather steamer trunks. Now here’s when I become the sadomasochist. I hate immortelle and 1740 contains it, lots of it. The immortelle is maple syrup with less curry than usual. It’s sweet and reminds me of diabetic sweat. It’s like sugary sweat. I also get candle wax, smoke and moss from this perfume. The scent starts to imprison me and make me feel claustrophobic. It’s difficult to explain but I think I’m being smothered by immortelle in a chypre scented dungeon.

I am no Marquis de Sade expert and I’ve read very little of his work (grew bored of the filth). Like many people I’m more infatuated by his life story than his writing. Knowing what I do know, 1740 is a Marquis de Sade fragrance…but subtle. It’s not overly Marquis de Sade. It’s leathery. It’s filthy. It’s dirty. It’s fecal. It’s dank. It smells good but at the same time it doesn’t. It’s almost a fragrance for a sensory sadist. The opening is medicinal, almost like a poison. The heart is edible but stale. The base has a super sweet gluttonous immortelle. Some say that this one isn’t “Marquis de Sade” enough. I think it is. If it were “Marquis de Sade” enough, it’d be shit. Literally. And all the perfume fanatics would be griping about it smelling like feces. Trust me, this is as Marquis de Sade as any fragrance should be.

Give 1740 Marquis de Sade a try if you like rugged fragrances. Or if you like perfumes like Knize 10, Serge Lutens Chene, Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque, Montale Oud Cuir d’Arabie, and/or Tauer Lonestar Memories. In my opinion 1740 Marquis de Sade is a masculine fragrance. However, it does have some sweetness that feminine types may like. Bottom line, you must like immortelle as a note. This is the note that makes this one so “love or hate”.

This scent has above average projection and longevity. It lasts and lasts. I hope when you put it on your skin to sample it, that you like it. I know I’m my immortelle-hating self is tired of testing this.

Histoires de Parfums 1740 comes in 3 sizes with prices ranging from $36-$205 at Beautyhabit. Samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – “Foul smelling imagery” but not too foul. Medicinal, musty, fecal, sweet. The immortelle in this is too much for me. I can’t wear it without feeling slightly ill.

This stuff turned my stomach too. On paper and from far away I could sort of get into it but on my skin the sweaty fecal stuff was NOT happening for me. Scrubber.Elisa recently posted..My life as a troll

It isn’t terrible, but it’s not for me. I know a few people that really enjoy this one. It has a lot going on, comes across as more of an environment than a personal fragrance. Medicinal, musty, leathery, animalic (lots of civet), sweet with immortelle, moss…tons going on.

I just did a review of MdS as well and we have such different views of it! One of my commentors pointed out that it was recently reformulated, so maybe that’s why. Otherwise, maybe we could become evil scent twins? I’d love that 😀Sigrun Olafsdottir recently posted..1740 Marquis de Sade by Histoires de Parfums

I love perfume because we all have different experiences and takes on fragrances!
I know that my complete intolerance of immortelle makes me many people’s evil scent twin. It’s such a polarizing note! I find that you if you hate it, you hate it. It actually makes you feel ill. Other people seem to think it’s the bees’ knees. I typically know who my evil scent twin is by asking if they like immortelle or not 😉

My new holy-grail fragrance. I can’t believe that I love something more than SL Chergui, but I do. I’m such an immortelle fiend, so this is perfect for me. Admittedly, I would have preferred more fecal matter, but hey! I’ll make due with the fragrance as is 😀